UCLA’s Zach LaVine, right, poses for a photo with NBA commissioner Adam Silver after being selected 13th overall by the Minnesota Timberwolves during the 2014 NBA draft, Thursday, June 26, 2014, in New York. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens)

By most accounts, Zach LaVine won’t be NBA-ready for a couple of years.

The NBA draft was ready for the UCLA freshman Thursday night.

The 19-year-old was selected with the 13th pick of the draft by the Minnesota Timberwolves, validating his swift decision to leave UCLA after starting just one game in his lone season.

The 6-foot-5 prospect, who could play either guard position in the NBA, declared his intentions to enter the draft not 24 hours after UCLA’s loss in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament. He proceeded to astonish scouts with his athleticism leading up to the draft, including a record 46-inch vertical jump at a workout with the Lakers three weeks ago.

“I knew what I was doing,” LaVine said. “I believe in my talents and I thought I was ready for this journey. There are a lot of doubters out there that I’ve been proving wrong throughout this whole process. I had one of the better pre-drafts and I’m making my dream become a reality. I don’t think a lot of people can say much now.”

For the second time in school history, three UCLA players were selected in the first round of the NBA draft. Joining LaVine were sophomores Jordan Adams and Kyle Anderson, picked 22nd by the Memphis Grizzlies and 30th by the San Antonio Spurs, respectively.

Considering he averaged 9.4 points, 2.5 rebounds and 1.8 assists as a freshman, LaVine’s draft position had to be pleasing. His pleasure at joining a Timberwolves team whose star player, Kevin Love, is the subject of heavy trade talks is not so clear.

LaVine briefly rested his forehead on the table while he waited to be selected along with 19 other prospects at the Barclay’s Center in Brooklyn, and appeared to use profanity after rising from his seat. He didn’t crack a smile until his exchange with NBA commissioner Adam Silver on stage, but rebuffed any notion he is unhappy going to Minnesota.

UCLA will be well represented on the Timberwolves’ roster. LaVine will join Luc Richard Mbah a Moute and two players who also spent just one season at UCLA, Love and 2013 first-round pick Shabazz Muhammad.

As for how LaVine fits into the Timberwolves’ back court, point guards Ricky Rubio, J.J. Barea and Alexey Shaved are under contract next season along with shooting guard Kevin Martin.

Martin is an established scorer, Barea likely a career bench player and Shaved a 25-year-old Russian whose minutes were reduced from 23.9 per game in his rookie season of 2012-13 to 10.5 last year. The 23-year-old Rubio figures to be a fixture at point guard after finishing fifth in the NBA with 8.6 assists per game last season.

LaVine’s versatility and athleticism were what attracted Timberwolves coach Flip Saunders, who said he wrote down LaVine’s name on a piece of paper Thursday morning and hoped he would be available at pick No. 13.

“He’s a multi-position player,” Saunders said. “He can play the two, he can play some one. Athletically he’s the best athlete in the draft.”

LaVine’s approach to the draft was quite the contrast to Adams, who first announced he would return to UCLA for his junior season only to change his mind nine days later.

Projected as a fringe first-round pick, the 6-foot-5 swing man appears to have made the right choice.

“Wow can’t wait to catch that flight to Memphis !!!” Adams tweeted shortly after he was selected.

Unlike LaVine, Adams’ agility and strength didn’t test well leading up to the draft. But he produced on the court in a big way, finishing seventh in the Pac-12 with an average of 17.2 points per game and collecting a UCLA-record 95 steals last season.

Adams, a scorer whose lack of athleticism could make him a defensive concern, has hope to fit nicely into a Grizzlies lineup featuring small forwards Tony Allen and Tayshaun Prince, who are known for their defensive prowess.

Adams was selected earlier than projected, but Anderson slipped further than expected.

Being selected by a Spurs franchise with an impeccable reputation for identifying talent is no small consolation.

The 6-9 prospect has drawn comparisons to the Spurs’ own Boris Diaw given versatility that made him a triple-double threat every game at UCLA. Anderson averaged 14.6 points, 8.8 rebounds and 6.5 assists last season and improved his 3-point shooting from 21 percent to 48 percent from his freshman to his sophomore season.

The Spurs unselfish style seems to perfectly suit Anderson.

“Everybody gets everybody involved and I think that’s one of my best attributes coming into this league,” Anderson said. “I think I could fit in with the offense very well.”

Clay Fowler is the sports features and UCLA basketball writer for the Southern California News Group. He has been working for SCNG since 2006, when he moved to Southern California from his native Texas. He was born and raised in Dallas and graduated from the University of Texas in 2002. He lives in La Verne with his wife and son. He is probably craving Chinese food right now.

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